Compare the2024 Toyota Land CruiserVS 2023 Tesla Model Y

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Land Cruiser are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Tesla Model Y doesn’t offer height-adjustable rear seat belts.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Land Cruiser’s standard Downhill Assist Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model Y doesn’t offer Downhill Assist Control.

The Land Cruiser offers an optional Multi-Terrain Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model Y only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Land Cruiser’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Land Cruiser has standard Safety Connect™, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model Y doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Land Cruiser and the Model Y have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rearview cameras.

The Toyota Land Cruiser weighs 640 to 675 pounds more than the Tesla Model Y. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Land Cruiser for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model Y.

There are over 8 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Land Cruiser’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 63 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Tesla is ranked 14th.

For better traction, the Land Cruiser’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model Y (265/60R20 vs. 255/35R21).

The Toyota Land Cruiser’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Tesla Model Y only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Land Cruiser has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Model Y; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Land Cruiser has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Land Cruiser flat and controlled during cornering. The Model Y’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Land Cruiser offers an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Model Y doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For greater off-road capability the Land Cruiser has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (8 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Land Cruiser to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Land Cruiser has 1.6 inches more front hip room, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, 6.4 inches more rear hip room and 5.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model Y.

The Land Cruiser has a much larger cargo volume than the Model Y with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 16.9 cubic feet).

The Land Cruiser’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Model Y’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Land Cruiser’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Model Y’s (6000 vs. 3500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Land Cruiser uses the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Model Y doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Land Cruiser (except 1958) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model Y doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Land Cruiser has a standard rear wiper. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Land Cruiser keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Model Y doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Land Cruiser has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Model Y doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.